It is generally known to supply commercial aircraft with conditioned air for heating and cooling. Typically, conditioned air is supplied to the aircraft from a ducting system associated with the telescoping corridor that is a part of the airport terminal. The air is delivered from the telescoping corridor to the aircraft with a flexible and usually insulated air hose. The hose is typically one hundred feet in length or more. When not in use, the hose is stored in a bin under the terminal. Occasionally, when time permits, a worker may roll the hose into a roll before storing the hose in the bin. Often, an individual leaves the hose bent upon itself in the bin, thereby increasing undue wear of the hose and predisposing the hose to kink when in use. Kinks are undesirable because they decrease the amount of air delivered through the hose. The process of hefting the hose into and out of the bin can cause snagging and tearing of the hose, further decreasing delivered air. Lifting and moving the hose is ergonomically difficult.
In addition, while all aircraft have a standard connector, this connector is not located at the same point on all aircraft. Further, the telescoping corridor is not always located at the same distance from the aircraft. Some aircraft require one hundred feet or more of supply hose for the conditioned air to reach the aircraft, while others may only require twenty feet. All one hundred feet of the supply hose must be removed from the bin regardless of how much hose is required. Whenever less than the full length of the hose is required, the hose will likely be bent and kinked between the terminal and aircraft. A bent and/or kinked hose reduces the airflow to the aircraft when compared to a smoothly routed hose. Reduced airflow reduces the delivered heating and cooling. In some cases, the aircraft cannot be adequately heated or cooled using air supplied by the ground facility through the bent or kinked hose, and the aircraft may then need to operate its auxiliary power unit (APU). The APU consumes jet fuel and increases the airline's costs.
In addition, another safety issue is that having more hose than necessary on the tarmac can cause a tripping hazard and make it more difficult for the ground operation crews to safely maneuver their vehicles.
A need, therefore, was previously recognized for an improved device and a method for supplying conditioned air for heating and/or cooling a commercial aircraft. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,821,201, 6,776,705, and 6,834,668 to Bombardi et al. are directed to this improvement. Bombardi supplies a protective container that dispenses an appropriate length of hose, and retracts the hose when the hose is no longer needed. However, the device disclosed by the Bombardi patents has several aspects that can be improved upon to increase reliability, functionality, and ease-of-use.